Speaking of Raised Beds....

Speaking of Raised Beds....

They are each 3' wide, 6' long and 18" deep. I'm thrilled with them and excited to get started, but not sure I'm going the right direction.

They are open on the bottom, so today I lined them with a thick layer of newspaper (my usual weed barrier for the garden) and covered that with a layer of pine straw. Now, for what to fill it with. As much as I would like to buy the lovely bagged stuff to start, I can't afford to fill 3 large boxes with the stuff ( so my thought is this...

Topsoil in bulk and amend with my own compost and other OM? I've also got access to all the horse manure I can shovel and haul for free... I'd let it compost for a bit before adding of course.

So... am I on the right track at all? Is my 'bottom layer' the right thing? Should I have used something other than paper and straw?

Help?!

"What we obtain too cheap, we esteem too lightly; it is dearness only that gives everything its value." --Thomas Paine

Um... irrigation system as in drip lines? I'll be the one having to take on this project, as the planting boxes will be the end of DH's contribution to the gardening... with the exception of munching on the fruits of my labor of course.

So... I'm not big on digging trenches and burying pipes or anything, so could garden hoses, a manifold and some driplines do the trick? I've got an idea in mind, but not sure exactly how to implement.

Any suggestions?

BTW, is 18" *too* deep for the boxes? Is there a suggested depth? I wanted to have plenty of room because I want to try carrots in a section of one of the boxes.

"What we obtain too cheap, we esteem too lightly; it is dearness only that gives everything its value." --Thomas Paine

The deeper the better if you have poor soil.I'm not sure deeper is cooler, but don't know.The deeper are good for the root crops.You can put HM near the lower layers, because you have deep beds and it won't need pre-composting, it will compost under ground and the urea will leach down. I've done similar with 8 inch beds and been good to go in a couple weeks. just push the HM off the roots if planting tomato starts, so there won't be any immediate contact with roots till the manure cools down. Put dirt or composts in the totmato holes.

I got a catalog from "Vesseys" and they had a great section of their irrigation systems....I won't buy one cause they could get to be a bit pricey and they are really only made out of 3/4'' pipe but the had some really great diagrams of set ups. With your boxes couldn't you just drill a hole in the end and run your pipe through? Just a couple thoughts hope it helps.Bina

"We would stand a better chance of survival if we accommodated ourselves to this planet and viewed it appreciatively..."and I will begin in my backyard.

Bina wrote::) I got a catalog from "Vesseys" and they had a great section of their irrigation systems....I won't buy one cause they could get to be a bit pricey and they are really only made out of 3/4'' pipe but the had some really great diagrams of set ups. With your boxes couldn't you just drill a hole in the end and run your pipe through? Just a couple thoughts hope it helps.Bina

Hmmm... good ideas, thanks! ::runs to google 'Vesseys' ::

"What we obtain too cheap, we esteem too lightly; it is dearness only that gives everything its value." --Thomas Paine

I just used lengths of salvaged soaker hoses interconnected with Y-junctions and cut sections of old hose (where watering is not necessary -- e.g. between beds), all connected with garden hose repair kits (the kind with interior tube and 2-clamping halves that are screwed together). I arranged the plants so the end of the "system" needed less water than the beginning.

sorry Sienna but I was at work when I said Vessey's I should have said Lee Valley instead....so google Lee Valley Tools for the irrigation information......I have been snowed under by seed catalogs over the last couple of weeks and got the names mixed up...sorry for any frustration you might have encountered

"We would stand a better chance of survival if we accommodated ourselves to this planet and viewed it appreciatively..."and I will begin in my backyard.

Bina wrote::oops: sorry Sienna but I was at work when I said Vessey's I should have said Lee Valley instead....so google Lee Valley Tools for the irrigation information......I have been snowed under by seed catalogs over the last couple of weeks and got the names mixed up...sorry for any frustration you might have encountered

No frustration and no worries!

Now I've got 2 cool sites... one for seeds and the other to water them with!

"What we obtain too cheap, we esteem too lightly; it is dearness only that gives everything its value." --Thomas Paine

Glad you liked Vessey's I keep eyeballing their asparagus peas...never tried them but any new vegie would be welcome addition to dinner. We're also putting raised beds in at our place to expand garden space and decrease lawn mowing space and I thought of drilling holes in the boxes for an irrigation system and also putting in permanent support loops at both ends of the beds in the corners to take bamboo poles or something similar to hold pea nets or trellis for beans, gourds etc. I figure I had better cover all my bases before I put the dirt in. Needless to say my husband groans a lot at my plans but will be first in line for spring peas as well Any way good luck with your project.Bina

"We would stand a better chance of survival if we accommodated ourselves to this planet and viewed it appreciatively..."and I will begin in my backyard.

Up until last year I had used five and one half inch deep raised beds over a concrete pad. They did very well for most things, though heavy feeders like tomatoes were not placed in those shallow beds. Last year I replaced them with ten inch deep 3 foot by 10 foot frames and consider those beds to be a wonderful depth. Heavy feeding squash did very well in them this past summer. So 18 inches deep sounds absolutely wonderful, except for the chore of filling them. My beds have several seasons worth of synthetic soil, manure, leaf mold/partial composted material and the beds are still not totally full. But hey, you can start out with only 8 to ten inches or even less, of planting medium, and gradually fill the frames over two or three seasons. That way you can accumulate leaves, manure, etc. to provide organic rich ingredients. So far this fall I have about 125 cubic feet of leaves, compost, and manure to add to my raised beds. It will decompose some over the winter and will go as a top dressing or mix in the raised beds in the spring.

I have one new bed that has no soil at all. This week I plan to fill the box with alternating layers of leaves, manure, and sythetic soil, and will add a good batch of earth worms to do my work for me. This material will mostly be broken down by late spring. At planting time I'll mix synthetic into the top several inches and will plant in that. Most of the volume is filled with free stuff, and then the top is filled with a mix of last year's used potting mix blended with freshly bought potting mix. The first year I'll add about two large bags to a three by ten foot bed, and then after that, it is just a matter of amending the top few inches with a fresh batch of soil. Eventually the frames get filled to within an inch of the top.